Hi. I’m Alex Hornick the founder of ConcussedTeen and a high school student in New York City.

From a young age, I defined myself as a student athlete and I took great pride in being a soccer goalkeeper – the last line of defense.

My life as a student athlete came to a crashing halt in 2014 after two serious concussions in less than 12 months. I had typical post concussive symptoms including sensitivity to light and sound, nausea, dizziness, unsteady balance and concentration problems. My life was negatively impacted physically, emotionally, academically, and socially. I was lucky to have a plethora of support from my family, good friends, and school. However, I was disappointed by the lack of information available for teen athletes who sustained head injuries, how few people understand concussions, and how little empathy there is for student athletes who are dealing with the repercussions of the injury.

I am launching ConcussedTeen to broaden the general knowledge of concussions among student athletes. The organization strives to be an all-encompassing resource for teenage student athletes and their peers to learn about the prevalence, incidence and aftermath of concussions in sports. In addition to providing information about the injury itself, ConcussedTeen focuses on highlighting the emotional toll that concussions can take on student athletes and provide support through fostering hope and inspiration to the individual, his/her family and friends.

NFL Concussions rose from 115 to 183 in one year. Raw spike or better reporting?